Heath Shuler

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT HEATH SHULER - PAGE 4

If the preseason is any indication of what the Washington Redskins bought when they spread $19.25 million over eight years to sign quarterback Heath Shuler, two things are beginning to surface. One, he's a quick learner. Two, he's a fighter. Six weeks ago, the No. 1 draft pick from Tennessee had a hard time finding his targets in simple passing drills. Friday night, he completed 19 of 30 passes for 206 yards and led Washington to a 22-21 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

I am alone in my house on a day of tropic-like sun. I could be at the beach, building sand castles with my sons. Most definitely, this is a day for fishing. Instead, here I sit, watching the National Football League Draft on television. "If there are three people in a huddle with the card, there could be a trade," Chris Berman says. Sure, Chris. In less than a score of hours, I'll be able to read all about it. I don't know why I'm watching this. It's like football's version of the Broadway play "A Chorus Line."

Whitewater aside, some of the more interesting theories making the rounds in Washington these days involve the Redskins. As in, how long it will take them to return to the Super Bowl and how they will get there. As for how long, most Redskins' fans I've talked to have picked up on something owner Jack Kent Cooke said in January when he hired new head coach Norv Turner - (his timetable is) a winning record in 1994, the playoffs in 1995, a conference title game in 1996 and the Super Bowl in 1997.

Texas Stadium is no place for young players on a visiting team to win a starting job or hold onto one. But Washington Redskins rookie quarterback Gus Frerotte and running back Ricky Ervins will try to make another career move this afternoon against the champion Dallas Cowboys. Ervins, a rookie standout in 1991 who saw his playing time decrease each of the next two seasons, was staring at another nondescript year in 1994. He was ticketed to play on third downs. For the first five games, that's about all he did. But when 1993 rookie star Reggie Brooks fumbled three times in one quarter against Dallas on Oct. 2, Ervins came in. Today, Ervins will make his sixth consecutive start.

A week ago, Gus Frerotte told himself that he was every bit as good as Heath Shuler, the Washington Redskins' top draft pick. A week later, the seventh-round draft pick is hinting that he may never give back the starting quarterback job to Shuler. "Yeah, I can see myself playing well week after week if given the opportunity," Frerotte said when asked if he planned to keep the starting job. It's unlikely, no matter how well Frerotte plays, that the Redskins won't go back to Shuler at some point and give him a chance to justify his $19.25 million contract.

Coach Norv Turner of the Washington Redskins has been keeping the media and thousands of fans hostage since mid-July, making them wait until the last minute before naming his starting quarterback for the 1994 season. Sorry to let the cat out of the bag, but this one is a no-brainer. Start the rookie. Start Heath Shuler. Now, having said that, let me list the reasons why Shuler should not start: He's not ready. Conventional wisdom says it takes at least two years to develop a quarterback.

Then it happened. Heath Shuler didn't get up. It didn't look like a particularly vicious hit by Arizona Cardinals defense end Clyde Simmons, although Shuler did land awkwardly on his right shoulder. Gus Frerotte was surprised. Why didn't Shuler get up? Then reality claimed him. No time to think. Get your helmet. Find quarterback coach Cam Cameron. This was it. Everything ghoulish and good about being a reserve in the National Football League. Playing time depends on lopsided scores and injuries.

PLEASE REMEMBER THE OTHER HOME TEAM For many years I have been an avid Washington Redskins fan and have enjoyed the great coverage of this team your newspaper has provided. For many reasons, including geographic location of their home games, the Redskins have been considered by many to be the "home team." Now, with the National Football League expansion this year, and the addition of two pro teams - one in Florida and one in North Carolina, there is a "home team" battle brewing among many of us fans.

If you're tracking the movements of Gus Frerotte and Heath Shuler , and what Washington Redskins' fan isn't this summer, you're finding that there's little to choose between the two third-year quarterbacks dueling for the starting job. Shuler performed extremely well in the preseason opener while working with the first unit in Buffalo, and Frerotte didn't do a bad job with the mistake-prone second unit. Frerotte, who worked the first half of Friday night's 35-24 loss to the Detroit Lions, directed the first unit and sparkled with 12 completions in 19 attempts for 143 yards.

An air of optimism, mixed with a heavy dose of caution, hangs over Redskin Park this week. After going through 13 starting quarterbacks in the past 10 years, the most in the NFL during that span, the Washington Redskins believe they may have their long-term starter in first round draft pick Patrick Ramsey. They're optimistic after he replaced injured Danny Wuerffel in the first quarter last Sunday and led them to a 31-14, come-from-behind victory against the Tennessee Titans. But, despite showing the poise and sharpness of a veteran while completing 20 of 34 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns in his first NFL action, Ramsey and his teammates are cautious in their praise for one very important reason.